Novartis board under fire as two late-stage trials fail and CAR-T program paused

Novartis' board is facing heightened investor scrutiny after the Swiss drugmaker reported failures in two pivotal late-phase trials, raising doubts about its capital deployment strategy for growth through the 2030s.

The company had been counting on readouts from pelacarsen, remibrutinib and del-desiran as key catalysts. While remibrutinib showed a reduction in relapse rates in Phase 3 multiple sclerosis studies, pelacarsen did not demonstrate a significant benefit on cardiovascular risk, and the antibody‑oligonucleotide conjugate trial also fell short.

Compounding the setbacks, Novartis recently suspended its CAR‑T program following three patient deaths, adding further pressure on its R&D pipeline and prompting calls for strategic reassessment by the board.